Jesus Heals Jairus’s Daughter and the Woman with an Issue of Blood (Come, Follow Me: Mark 5) – powered by Happy Scribe
Jesus has had a busy day. Notice the setting in verse 21, And when Jesus was passed over again by a ship unto the other side, meaning to Capernaum, much people gathered unto him, and he was nigh unto the sea. I like this illustration because it shows that Jesus has just gotten off the boat, like verse 21 describes. He’s nigh unto the sea. He’s barely gotten off the boat. Maybe he’s tired and thinking, I can’t wait to go back to my house. Peter’s patched up the roof. I think I’ll take a little nap and relax a bit. But people start crowding around him. Have you ever had an experience where you need some downtime, but then multiple people want your attention? I know that’s happened to me, and sometimes I want to say, Whoa, I just need a little bit of space. I wonder if Jesus ever felt that way. If he did, he didn’t show it on this occasion because in verse 22, a leader of the Synagogue named Jirus came up to him. When he saw Jesus, Jirus fell at his feet, and note that posture, we’ll see it again, and begged him repeatedly.
My little daughters, at the point of death, come and lay your hands on her so that she may be made well and live. Jesus went with him. Christ might have had some other plans or things he wanted to do, but he was willing to put those things aside and walk with somebody who was struggling. Jesus went with him. At this point in the story, I want to introduce what my colleague, Matt gray, lovingly refers to as Mark and Sandwiches. A Mark and Sandwich is when Mark will start telling us a story, switch to a second story, and then come back to the original story. If you look carefully at Mark and Sandwiches, you can often find some cool insights that you might miss if you only looked at the stories in isolation. We’ll see one Mark and Sandwich today and more in future classes. In this case, the Mark and Sandwich starts with Jesus going to help the daughter of Jairus. Then he’s going to be interrupted by a woman, and then the narrative will go back to Jairus. As Jesus is walking along, a woman touches him. Mark recounts, Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for 12 years.
She had endured much under many physicians and had spent all that she had, and she was no better, but rather grew worse. She had heard about Jesus and she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. For she said, If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well. Just like lepers were ritually unclean, so too was a menstruating woman. It’s not exactly clear what this woman’s medical condition was, but her persistent bleeding would have made her constantly impure. And anyone who touched her or anything she had touched would also be impure. If this woman was married, her husband could have used this as a grounds for divorce. It seems likely that for 12 years she had been in forced quarantine. What a horrible position to be in. What does Jesus do when the woman touches him? One translation of Mark 5 30 says, Jesus turned around. Again, we see that Jesus is willing to stop what he’s doing to address someone with an immediate need. You and I might feel at times like we’re falling behind as we try to walk with the Savior. If that’s ever the case, Jesus will turn around and reach towards us.
The woman was frightened. She didn’t want to admit what she had done. She may have been worried that Jesus was upset. After all, she had the audacity to touch him, transferring her uncleanliness to him. But Jesus wasn’t worried about ritual impurity. He cared about her. Mark recounts that the woman came and fell down before him. Did you notice how just like Jairus, she fell down at Jesus’ feet and told him all the truth. Her public confession is a blessing because then Jesus publicly says, Daughter, be of good comfort. Your faith has made you whole. Go in peace. Capernaum is a small town, perhaps with a 1,000 people. It’s not like this woman’s condition is a secret. But by publicly healing her, Jesus now announces to everyone she’s no longer excluded from the community. He’s taking someone on the margins and bringing her into the center. That’s what Jesus does. Did you notice also how Christ addressed her? He called her daughter. This is the only time in the New Testament that Jesus calls somebody his daughter. Can you feel the tenderness in this scene? With a brief exchange and a measure of faith, this woman is brought into the family of Christ.
This is such a beautiful moment for everyone except who? Gyrus, he’s like, Okay, my daughter is dying. Thank you. Glad you’re healed. Let’s go. Maybe you’re not as impatient as I am, but if I were Jairus, I might be getting frustrated thinking, You’ve had this sickness for 12 years. Okay, we’ll come back. You can wait one more day. While Jesus was still speaking to the woman, some people came from Jairus’s house and said, Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further? Jesus is having a beautiful conversation with the woman, but now Jairus is crushed. As soon as Jesus heard the messengers from Jairus’ house, he turned back to Jairus and said, Do not fear, only believe. What a message for each of us. And what an example of individual love and concern. I marvel at how Jesus can focus on Jairus, then give his full attention to the woman, then turn it back to Jairus when needed. At this point, Jesus goes with Peter, James, and John to Jairus’ home, where people are already mourning her death. When Jesus announces he will heal her, the people laugh at him. But Jesus tells the girl to arise.
And Mark tells us straight away, the damsel arose and walked for she was of the age of 12 years. Let’s consider these two miracles together. How does sandwiching the miracles of Jairus’ daughter being healed and the woman with the issue of blood add to our understanding as opposed to if they were separated. Perhaps one lesson is that Jesus stops along the way to serve. Sometimes we may get tunnel vision in our gospel service and forget to help others along the way. Christ stops what he’s doing to serve Jairus and then stops what he’s doing to help the woman. It’s also interesting to note that Jairus’s daughter was 12 years old. Her whole life comprised the sickness of the woman. Maybe this contrast helps us see that some healings come fast and some take time. The woman has struggled for 12 years while this little girl, presumably, has been having a great life. Her sickness is relatively brief compared to what the woman experiences. We see the same thing today. Some people find quick healing, but others struggle for a long period of time. Another sandwich connection is that Jairus is a wealthy man. The woman with the issue of blood is a poor woman.
Jesus is no respecter of persons. He’s ready to help all people. In addition, do you remember how both Jairus and the woman with an issue of blood fell down at the feet of Jesus? That’s a powerful example for each of us. Do we feel this same sense of worship? To see more videos like this one, simply search Seeking Jesus. you.
Guest Author
dyejo
